Breaking Wheel

By Crusader1307

Possibly going back to the time of Charlemagne, The ''Breaking Wheel'' was a large  wheel. The Victim was lashed (strapped) to the wheel with their arms and legs placed through the spokes. The appendages were then beaten with a iron rod or cudgel. Another variation was to place the victim in an "X" position, (splayed out). After the beating, the victim was left on display. One documented case from Germany, had the accused splayed on the ground - while the Wheel itself, was dropped repeatedly on their limbs (until they broke). Often, the victim would die (mostly left for exposure to the elements). In The Holy Roman Empire, the Breaking Wheel was the approved method of punishment for murder (with the corpse being left for the birds!). This was also a popular early Colonial American way of dealing with runaway slaves.